Bottling machine



y 2, 1942. F. c. HAMILTON ETAL 2,282,576

BOTTLING MACHINE v Filed March 4, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 O o o M o 7 INVENTORS FRANCIS C. HAMILTON 1 ELMER}. C. LANDHOLT ATTORNEY May 12, 1942.

HAMILTON ET AL ,576

BOTTLING'MACHINE Filed March 4, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS FRANCIS C. HAMILTON ELMER C, LANDHQLT ATTORNEY y 1942- F. c. HAMILTON ET AL 2,282,576

BOTTLING MACHINE Filed March 4, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 am T E W WAA- IH c mm mm. Ef F f 'kI'TORNEY Patented May 12, 1942 UNITED 5mm PATENT orrlcg V .BOTTLING MACHINE Francis 0. Hamilton, Columbia, 111., and Elmer C. Landholt, Overland, Mo.; said Landholt assignor to L; Ray 'Schuesslem-St; Louis, Mo;.

Application March 4, 1939;, Serial No. 259,756

8 Claims.

This invention relates generally to bottling machines and more specifically to bottling machines adapted foruse in bottling beverages in which sippers are sealed within the bottles containing the beverage, the predominant object f the invention being to provide a'bottling machine which includes as parts thereof, means for. feeding sippers to bottles in which beverages are being bottled 'withthe aid of the machine; and means I Irelation with respect to the capping mechanism of the machines. The improved bottling machine disclosed herein includes means forautomatically dropping a sipper in each bottle as it passes the position of the sipper feedingmechanism of the machine, and also, because the subsequent introduction of liquid into the bottles tends to cause the sippers so introduced into the bottles by the sipper feeding means to float upwardly, the improved machine'includesbafile means which controls upward floating movement of the sipper of eachbottle as said bottle approaches the capping mechanism of the machine, and thereby assures passage of the sipper beneath the cap to be applied to the bottle by said capping mechanism.

Fig. lis a front elevation of a. bottling ma} chine constructed and arranged in'accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. V

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryelevation of the parts illustrated in Fig. 3. v

Fig. 5 is a vertical section ofthe sipper feeding mechanism of the improved bottling machine, together with parts of the bottle conveyor means of the machine. i

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary v'erticalsec'tion of the sipper feeding mechanism of the machine showing the manner in which sippers .to be fedt'o bottles are carried from ahorizontal positionto a vertical position for discharge into the bottles. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on line 'l! or Fig, 6.

Fig. 8 ,is an enlarged section on line 8-8 of Fig.5.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged vertical section on .line

Fig, 10 is a horizontal section on line llllll of. Fig. r 1 v.Fig. 11 is a horizontal sectionon line ll.-l'l

. of Fig. 5.

-In the drawings, wherein is shown for the purpose of illustration, merely, one embodiment of the invention, A designates in Fig. 1 a bottling machine ofconventional, construction and arrangement. The bottling machine A includesa base B which aids in supporting the mechanism of the bottling machine, said mechanism including a conveyor C by which bottles to be filled and capped by the bottling machine are conducted :through the machine. includes, also, means D which serves to intro- ..duce syrup into the bottles during their passage Y The bottling machine A through the machine, means E for introducing water into the bottles, means for carbonating the contents of the bottles when this is desired, and means F for capping the bottles after they have been filled. Due to the fact that the 'con- -struction and mode of operation of bottling machines of the type to which this invention relates are well known to persons skilled in the art, it will not be necessary to describe the bottling machine A and its mode of operation .in detail beyond a point wherea complete understanding :of the present invention may be had, such invention involving associating with a conventional bottling machine, means for feeding sippers one at a time to bottles as said bottles move successively with respect to the position of the sipper feeding means, andmeans for preventing excessive upward floating movement of the sippers in the bottles as said bottles approach the capping mechanism of the bottling machine so that said sippers may move beneath said capping mech- Referring now to the sipper feeding means of the invention I designates a housing which'is provided at its bottom with apair of brackets 2, each of said brackets being provided with a tubu- .lar socket 3. Extended into the sockets 3 and fixed therein by means of set screws 4 are pipes 5; said pipes '5 each having fixed thereto a pair ofbrackets 6 which are secured by set screws 1 to .an angle member C which constitutes a part of the conveyor means of the bottling machine A (Figs. 2 and Thus the housing of the sipper feeding means is secured to and is supported by said angle member C of the bottling machine A. The housing I is provided with a removable cover 8, and in the upper portion of the housing a pair 5 of convergent walls 9 are secured to the walls of the housing as shown to the best advantage in Figs. 5 and, 9. The space within the housing I above the walls 9 is constituted a hopper I0 adapted to receive a supply of sippers and the convergent walls 9 provide the hopper I0 with the conventional hopper bottom. The bottom of the hopper ID is provided with an elongated opening III which is defined by vertically extended, spaced apart, flanges 9 formed onthe walls 9. The convergent walls 9 are provided with sets of notches I and I I which are adapted to receive angular portions I2 of a partition I2. The partition I2 may be supported in the set of"- notches II to space said partition from the wall I of the housing I to provide for the reception between said partition and said wall I of sippers of a certain length, eight inches, for instance. Also, when desired, the partition I2 may be shifted to a position where it is supported the set of notches II' to provide for the reception of shorter sippers, six inches in length, for instance.

Arranged within the lower portion of the housing I at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees with respect to the vertical front and rear walls of said housing is a shaft I3, said shaft being provided with conical bearing portions at its opposite ends which are received in similarly shaped cavities formed in bearing members I4 and I5. The bearing member I4 is screwthreadf edly supported by a bracket IB which is fixed to the front wall of the housing I, while the bearing I5 is screwthreadedly supported by an element that is adjustably secured to an extension I8 projected upwardly from the bottom wall of the housing I. Because the bearing members l4 and [5 are screwthreadedly supported by the bracket l6 and element l'l they may be adjusted longi- "tudinally of. the axis of the. shaft I3, jamb nuts m l9 being provided to lock said bearing members ifi in positions to which they may be adjusted. Also because the element I7 is attached to the extension I8 through the instrumentality of a bolt and slot connection, said element and the bearing member i5, may be adjusted laterally of the axis of the shaft I3.

Fixedly mounted on the shaft I3 is a disk 20 and fixedlymounted on said shaft in spaced relation with respect to said disk 20 is disk 2| which is of substantially larger diameter than the disk 55 20. The disk 20 is provided with an angularly extendededge portion 22, the angle of said edge portion 22 being approximately forty five degrees with respect to the plane of the disk 2|]. Likewise the disk 2| is provided with an edge portion 23" which is extended at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees relative to the plane of said disk. The angular edge portions 22 and 23 of the disks 2| and 22 are provided with notches 24 and 25, and corresponding notches of the edge por "(1.; tions of the disks are alined with each other so that if lines were drawn along the axes ofthe various alined notches of the disks 2| and 22 a substantially conical appearance would be produced by said lines in association with the disks. "Eu The disks 2| and 22' are provided with sleeve portions 26 and 21 which embrace the shaft I3, and these sleeves are provided with offset, engaging, inner end portions as indicated at 28 in Fig. W 5. Because. of the'presence of the offset end por- I 5 tions 28 of the sleeves 26 and 21 proper alinement of the notches 24 and 25 in the angular end portions of the disks 20 and 2| is assured when said offset end portions are properly assembled. When the offset end portions 28 of the sleeves 26 and 21 of the disks are properly assembled to aline the notches 24 and 25 as explained, the sleeves and disk are secured to the shaft I3 through the use of set screws 29 which extend through apertures formed in the sleeve portions and engage said shaft.

Secured to the front wall of the housing I by means of suitable fastening devices 30 is an arcuate bar 3| which is provided with an extension 32 at one end into which the fastening devices 30 are extended to secure the arcuate bar to the front wall of the housing. The arcuate bar 3| describes an approximate half circle, one end of the bar being located immediately adjacent to the opening I0 previously referred herein, and said arcuate bar being so related to the disk 20 that said bar follows the outer edge of the angular edge portion 22 of said disk 20 with only a slight clearance space between said outer edge of said angular edge portion of the disk and an adjacent face of the arcuate bar (Figs. 5 and '7).

Additionally the disk 2| has associated therewith an arcuate bar 33 which is of angular cross- 1 section as shown to the best advantage in Fig. 7.

The arcuate angle bar 33 describes an approximate half circle with one end thereof located adjacent to the opening III in the bottom of the hopper II] and with the opposite end of saidbar located immediately adjacent to an aperture 34 formed through the bottom wall of the housing I (Fig. 5). The arcuate angular bar 33 follows the periphery of the disk 2 I, the leg 33*- of said bar being arranged with respect to the disk 2| as shown in Fig. 7 with only a slight clearance space between said leg 33 and the outer edge of the angular edge. portion of the disk. The, other leg 33 of the arcuate bar 33 is disposed outwardly vof the angular edge portion 23 of the disk 2| and in substantial parallelism therewith. Art the endof the arcuate bar 33which is located adjacent to the aperture 34 in the bottom wall of he housing I said bar is provided with a portion 33' into which suitable fastening devices 31 are extended for securing the bar to the front wall of the housing I, and at the opposite end of said bar an ear 38 is providedthereon which receives afastening device 39 that secures said opposite end portion of the bar to the rear wall of the housing I.

Formed on the disk 2| at one face thereof is ,a plurality 'of circumferentially spaced outstanding wings 40, and formed on said disk 2| at its opposite face is a plurality of similar circumferentially spaced, outstanding wings 4|. The wings 4| are adapted to be engaged by a star wheel 42 which is fixedly supported at the upper end of a shaft 43, said shaft 43 having fixedly secured thereto adjacent to its lower end a similar star wheel 44. The shaft 43 is supported for swinging movement at its lower end, there being a bearing 45 for said shaft adjacent to the upper end thereof which permits such swinging movement. The bearing 45 includes a collar through which the shaft 43 extends for rotation with re-' spect to said collar, and this collar is provided with pins 46 which extend in opposite directions from said' collar and are rotatably supported in blocks 41 which are secured to the bottom wall of the housing The shaft 43 extends through an elongated opening 48 formed in the bottom 1 Wall of the housing I and the lower end of Isaid shaft isbxtendedsinto a bearing.memberi49; 'The bearing member 49 .is supported "by ;an elongated andcurved portion 150 of a member 5| whichis said elongatedzand curved'portion'50 of said member .5l having a slot 52 formed therein through which is extended the shank of a bolt 53 which maybe drawn up :to .clamp ;the bearing member 49inivarious.positionsato which it may be adjusted when the lowerend of the shaft '43 is moved longitudinally of sai'd'elon'gated andrcurved portion 50.

a pair of similar vertically :spaced guide bars H which are .disposed adjacent to :and above the;

inner edge of said conveyor C of the bottling machine (Figs. 2, 5, :and :11). The 'function per- .formed by the 1 guide :barsiGand-H .is to prevent accidentaldisplacement'of bottles from the conveyor'as said bottles arermoved by-said conveyor. In 'orderthat a part of thepresentfinvention will perform its intended function "to .better advantagea guide "member 54 is provided. This guide member is shaped in plan as shown in Fig. 11 and is attached at its opposite ends to arms 55 which are secured, as shown in Fig. 5, to the angle member OP which forms a part of the conveyor of the bottle machine. The guide member 54 serves to force the bottles moving with the conveyor C of the bottling machine toward the guide bars H so that said bottles will successively engage the star wheel 44 at the lower end of the'shaft 43 as shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 11 r in "a mannerand for a purpose tobe hereinafter set forth. The fact that the bottles successively engage the star wheel 44 indicates the reason 'for'making the'lower end of the shaft43 swing- 44 relative to the conveyor 'of'the bottling machine so that it may be properly positioned for bottles of idiiTerent diameters.

The hopper l0 receives a supply of sippers as 'has been previously mentioned herein, and to make sure that said sippers will be fed one at a time through the opening II) at the bottom of the hopper means is provided for agitating the sippers in the lower portion of the hopper. The

agitating means referred to includes a shaft 56 which is supported for rocking movement by a pair of bearingelements 51 (Figs. 'and 9) which are extended outwardly from one of the inclined bottom walls 9 of the hopper Ill. The shaft '56 has fixed thereto a pair of spaced segmental elements 58 which are swingable into and out of the lower portion of the hopper through slots 59 formed in the bottom wall 9 of the hopper that part ofthe hopper to be agitated thereby induc- :ingsaid sippersat the proper time to move one at a time through the discharge .openinglill' fof secured at itscopposite' ends to the :spacedpipesi 5 i '5' thatsupport ithehousing .l vaszshown in Fig. 9,

able, as it isnecessary'to adjust said star wheel :the hopper;

In the aoperation of. a ibottling machine :having the improved sipper feeding means'ofitheiipresent invention associated therewith, the bottles to be filled and capped by the machine are conveyed by the conveyor 'C of the machine past the location of the sipperfeeding means. As each bottle engages thestar wheel 44 and continues'itsfinovement withthe conveyorof the machine said :star

wheel is rotated a portion of a revolution, and the same rotation is.impartedthroughtheshaft 43 to the starwhe'el 42. When rso rotated one .of the projections act .the star wheel *42 is in engagement with one 201 the wings 4:! "of the disk 2| and as a result thereof the structure :comprised of thediskiZl, shaft :13, and disk 20 will be sub- ,jected to rotary movement. .Each time the disks 2!] andx2l are rotated-"by engagement of a bottle with the star wheel the angular edge portions of said disksmove with respect to the discharge openings l-fl of the hopper 10 a distance equal to the-space between one alined pair of notches "2425 of 'saiddisks and the next succeeding pair of notches, and as each pair of "notches 24-25 moves into register with the discharge opening of the hopper a sipper will fall through: said discharge opening into thenotches. The :sippers so received in the various pairs of alined notches are carried through-a half circle by theintermittently moving disks '20 and 2| fromthe horizontal dotted line position :of the sipper .S in Fig. 5 to the vertical dotted line position of the sipper S in the same view. As the sippers .are carried through a half circle as described they are prevented from falling from the notches in which they are carried by the bars 3| and 33, :said sippers, as they approach the vertical position S riding on the leg (33 of the "bar 33. The bar 33terminates at the location of the aperture 34 in the bottom wall of "the housing I and as each sipper reaches the position of said aperture it falls therethroughvinto a bottle which 'is located with its'mouth immediately beneath said aperture. Thus as each bottle moving with the .conveyor of the machine engages the star wheel 44 a sipper will be received in a pair of alined wnotches of the disks 20 and 2| and another sipper will drop through the aperture 34 into the bottle in engagement with said star wheel 44, the sippers in the lowerportion of the hopper being agitated by the elements 58-each time a wing of'the disk 2! contacts with the arm 60.

After the sippers have been introduced into the bottles as described the bottles move on to the point in the operation of the machine where the syrup is introduced into the bottles, then to the'point where wateris introduced into the bottles, and then to the point'wherethe bottles are capped. When wateris introducedin the-bot.-

tles during operation of the bottling machine there is a tendency for the sippers inisaid bottles to float upwardly in the fluid within the bottles, and if this tendency were not controlled the sippers might, in many cases at least, be extended .-:6.-2-;to-whichit is secured-at'the upper ends thereof, the :brackets being fixed at their lower ends to a stationary'part of the machine. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the battle 6| has an upwardly curved end portion 63 which is disposed at the charging head J of the bottling machine and as each bottle passes from said charging head the upper end of the sipper therein moves into engagement with said curved portion and is depressed thereby so that said upper end of the sipper may ride under the baffle during its movement from the charging head to the capping mechanism F. The baflle GI terminates immediately adjacent to the head F of the capping mechanism and as the sipper of each bottle passes out of contact with the baffle it moves beneath the head of the capping mechanism in such position that the cap being applied to the bottle will force the sipper down into the bottle as he capping mechanism applies the cap to the bottle.

From the foregoing it is plain that during the operation of the improved machine assembly disclosed herein a sipper is introduced into each bottle and the tendency of the buoyant sipper to float upwardly in the liquid introduced into 1y introducing a sipper into each bottle moving through the bottling machine as said bottle passes a given point, said sipper introducing means including a rotary structure adapted to conduct the sipper from substantially horizontal positions to substantially vertical positions for introduction into the bottles, a hopper for delivering sippers to said rotary structure in substantially horizontal positions, and actuating means for subjecting said rotary structure to rotary movement which is operated by contact of the moving bottles with a part thereof.

2. A bottling machine including means for moving through the machine bottles in which fluid is to be bottled, and means for automatically introducing a sipper into each bottle moving through the bottling machine as said bottle passes a given point, said sipper introducing means including a rotary structure adapted to conduct the sippers from substantially horizontal positions to substantially vertical positions for introduction into the bottles, a hopper for delivering sippers to'said rotary structure in substantially horizontal positions, and actuating means for subjecting said rotary structure to intermittent rotary movement which is operated by contact of the moving bottles with a part thereof.

3. A bottling machine including means for,

moving through the machine bottles in which fluid is to be bottled, and means for automatically introducing a sipper into each bottle moving through the bottling machine as said bottle passes a given point, said sipper introducing means including a rotary structure adapted to conduct the sippers from substantially horizontal positions to substantially vertical positions for introduction into the bottles, a hopper for delivering sippers to said rotary structure in substantially horizontal positions, actuating means for subjecting said rotary structure to rotary movement which is operated by contact of the moving bottles with a part thereof, and means for agitating sipper within said hopper. I

4. A bottling machine including means for moving through the machine bottles in which fluid is to be bottled, and means for automatically introducing a sipper into each bottle movin through the bottling machine as said bottle passes a given point, said sipper introducing means including a rotary structure comprising a shaft, a pair of spaced disks mounted on said shaft one i of which is of greater diameter than the other, 10.

said disks having alined notches formed in the edge portion thereof, a hopper for feeding sippers one at a time to alined notches of said disks, said rotary structure being adapted to conduct said sippers from substantially horizontal positions in which said sippers are received from said hopper to substantially vertical positions for in troduction into the bottles, and actuating means for subjecting said rotary structure to rotary movement which is operated'by contact of the moving bottles with a part thereof.

5. A bottling machine including means for moving through the machine bottles in which fluid is to be bottled, and means for automatical ly introducing a sipper into each bottle moving through the bottling machine as said bottle passes a given point, said sipper introducing means including a rotary structure comprising a shaft, a pair of spaced disks mounted on said shaft one of which is of greater diameter than the other, said disks having alined notches formed in the edge portion thereof, a hopper for feeding sippers one at a time to alined notches of said disks,

said rotary structure being adapted to conduct said sippers from substantially horizontal positions in which said sippers are received from said hopper to substantially vertical positions for introduction into the bottles, and actuating means for subjecting said rotary structure to intermittent rotary movement which is operated by contact of the moving bottles with a part thereof.

6. A bottling machine including means for moving through the machine bottles in which fluid is to be bottled, and means for automatically introducing a sipper into each bottle moving through the bottling machine as said bottle passes a given point, said sipper introducing means including a rotary structure comprising a shaft, a pair of spaced disks mounted on said shaft one of which is of greater diameter than the other, said disks having alined notches formed in the edge portion thereof, a hopper for feeding sippers one at a timeto alined notches of said disks, said rotary structure being adapted to conduct said sippers from substantially horizontal positions in which said sippers are received from said hopper to substantially vertical positions for introduction into the bottles, elements for preventing unintended displacement of the sippers from said alined notches, and actuating means for subjecting said rotary structure to rotary movement which is operated by contact of the moving bottles with a part thereof.

'7. A bottling machine including means for moving through the machine bottles in which fluid is to be bottled, and means for automatically introducing a sipper into each bottle moving through the bottling machine as said bottle passes said sippers from substantially horizontal positions in which said sippers are received from said hopper to substantially vertical positions for introduction into the bottles, curved elements for preventing unintended displacement of the sippers from said alined notches, and actuating means for subjecting said rotary structure to rotary movement which is operated by contact of the moving bottles with a part thereof.

8. A bottling machine including means for moving through the machine bottles in which fluid is to be bottled, and means for automatically introducing a sipper into each bottle moving through the bottling machine as said bottle passes a given point, said sipper introducing means including a rotary structure comprising a shaft, a pair of spaced disks mounted on said shaft one intended displacement of the sippers from said alined notches, means for agitating sippers in said hopper, and actuating means for subjecting said rotary structure to rotary movement which is operated by contact of the moving bottles with a part thereof.

FRANCIS C. HAMILTON. ELMER C. LANDHOLT. 

